


of us

by bakamaze



Series: a flaw in my code [3]
Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Computers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Guilt, M/M, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 20:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10929459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakamaze/pseuds/bakamaze
Summary: Of things felt, of things shared.Of a family found.(n.o mv au)





	of us

**Author's Note:**

> so, keeping to my regular schedule, here's the update for this year! 
> 
> im joking, hopefully. i have all kinds of wips sitting on my hard drive but actually looking through them and posting is the hard part T_T 
> 
> thanks to a lovely comment though, i was inspired to actually post this, so!! 
> 
> probably a little better understood if you read the first two parts~

Being loved is sharing secrets is sharing trust is loving back.

 

Jungkook thinks of this as he sits on the edge of the bed, eyes roaming over the people occupying the small room they've found for themselves.

 

He feels calm, because they have a roof over their heads tonight, because they had actual food earlier and there are left-overs, because Taehyung had found a four-leaf clover and declared their good luck, because the pounding headache he gets when people are trying to break into the core programming of the Machine is gone.

 

Sometimes there's too much of _everything;_  their shared emotions flickering too fast for him to grab onto until he feels like he's just a conduit of something vast and unexplainable, until the binary that takes over his thoughts more often than not threatens to bury him.

 

But then the numbers flicker and they spell out _I'M SORRY_ and _IT WILL GET BETTER_ and it does.

 

It does get better even though he knows it will take time for his neural pathways to adjust to all the things that are happening but he's not on his own.

 

 

 

Being loved is sharing secrets, and they do. It would be hard not to, practically living inside each others' heads as they do, but it's more than just that. It isn't because they can't  _not,_ it's because they choose to.

 

Jungkook knows this from the way Yoongi and Namjoon sit with their shoulders hunched, ink-stained fingers tracing over words they've written down in a beat up notebook they picked up along the way.

 

(They had contemplated tearing off the previous owner's pages but decided against it. Instead they let the words be and continued with their own.)

 

Jungkook's heart swells in his chest when Yoongi pushes the notebook towards him and Hoseok, uncharacteristically shy. ”You can write too if you want, or just read if you don't feel like it.”

 

Namjoon shifts in his place, a quiet rustle of cloth against cloth, Yoongi's nervousness seeping into him.

 

Hoseok's eyes shine as he watches Yoongi from behind his too-long fringe and Jungkook grins to break the somber mood, tongue between his teeth.

 

”But hyung, if I wrote something, who would want to read what you wrote?” he asks, twisting quickly away when Yoongi's expression flashes, going for annoyed but the youngest catches _fondness_ that filters through the connection as he reaches out to try and smack Jungkook.

 

”Brat, watch what you say,” he grumbles when Jungkook peers at him from behind Hoseok whose shoulders are shaking with laughter, Namjoon's hand held in his.

 

 

 

It would be hard not to trust someone who knows you like the back of their own hand, someone who has seen and _known_ you in a way that you might not even know yourself.

 

And Jungkook knows, like the others know, the little cracks and dents in the armor that they wear, the one that had become second skin until a simple YES had changed everything.

 

He's not necessarily the best at being comforting because he gets lost in trying to make things right, even when there's nothing to be done. Jimin and Taehyung and Seokjin on the other hand, have mastered the art of simply being there. Not to say that they don't want to fix whatever is causing the others sorrow, but they have the ability to accept things as they are and sometimes there's nothing else you can do but ride it out.

 

Tonight Jungkook's the only one awake when Seokjin himself needs someone.

 

Jungkook had woken up because of _unease_ curling down his spine, rousing him but not the others because he feels their connection on a level they don't, he's a central piece through which every thought and emotion flows.

 

He shifts, uncomfortable and unsure, and it's his emotions that have Namjoon turning in his sleep. It also makes Seokjin lift his head, eyes finding Jungkook's form in the dark.

 

Something like _shame_ has Jungkook scrambling forward, over Jimin's prone body, to untwist Seokjin's hands from the blanket.

 

”Hyung,” he whispers in the dark, hands holding Seokjin's. He doesn't know what to say so he just matches his breathing to Seokjin's inhales and exhales and waits. It's difficult.

 

There are times when Seokjin gets like this, especially if Jungkook has had a bad day. He feels responsible. They know now, they all know, the plans the institute had in place, dates and times and _designations_ and the thought alone is enough to have Jungkook biting back an angry snarl.

 

It wasn't supposed to be Jungkook. It was supposed Seokjin, black lines over _DESIGNATION: PRIMARY USER_ on the file, _SUBJECT REASSIGNED,_  because they had found Jungkook.

 

An overwhelming _sadness_ spills over and Seokjin untangles their hands and lifts them to cup Jungkook's face, and his smile is _sad sad sad,_ ”hyung is sorry.”

 

Jungkook pitches forward and buries his face in Seokjin's sweater, curls his arms around Seokjin's waist, ”it's okay, it's okay,” he repeats quietly.

 

Something shuffles behind him and he lifts his head enough to see Jimin crawling towards them, eyes heavy with sleep.

 

”Hyung,” he whines as he, too, latches onto Seokjin, ”we're cuddling?”

 

_Sadness_ eases and is replaced with something warm and it washes away the lump in Jungkook's throat.

 

Seokjin hums in place of an answer and lies back down, Jungkook and Jimin still clinging to him.

 

 

 

He gets headaches, but that doesn't surprise him; he would be more surprised if he _didn't_ get headaches with all that's going on in his brain.

 

The others know, instinctively, what to do with him when he's like this and he sends a thank you to whatever deity there might be watching.

 

Namjoon steers him away from the sunlight, so he doesn't feel like gouging his own eyes out.

 

He deposits Jungkook on something soft and smooths down his hair.

 

”If you need anything...” he trails off because he knows Jungkook knows, before he steps away. Jungkook lets out a sigh when he's left alone. He leans his head carefully against the wall behind him and tries to stop thinking. It's always easier said than done, especially now that he has a computer in his brain but he can still feel all the code running through somewhere in the back of his skull, even though he knows the Machine tries to slow it down for him.

 

Jungkook startles when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't heard anyone approaching and he opens one eye to see who it is.

 

(He already knows who it is.)

 

Taehyung is looking at him with knowing eyes, a small smile playing on his lips and Jungkook lets himself be moved so he's lying down with his head in Taehyung's lap.

 

He closes his eyes when Taehyung starts running long fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp, and he lets the tension drain from his muscles.

 

Taehyung smells like apples.

 

Jungkook sighs and presses closer.

 

He dozes off, Taehyung's hands gentle on his head and temples. He wakes from his half-asleep state when Taehyung's fingers stop, still tangled in strands of Jungkook's hair.

 

Jungkook looks up at Taehyung who looks down at Jungkook and frowns, ”why did you stop?”

 

”Your headache's gone,” Taehyung says, satisfied, _pride_ rolling off of him.

 

Jungkook watches as his mouth forms the words, follows the shape of his lips and thinks _that's not a reason to stop._

 

Taehyung grins at him and leans down.

 

”I can tell what you're thinking,” he crows and Jungkook doesn't roll his eyes, though it's a close thing.

 

”Yeah?” he challenges instead and watches as Taehyung's grin widens, blunt nails absentmindedly scratching behind Jungkook's ear.

 

”Yep,” Taehyung confirms and leans down those last inches and captures Jungkook's lips in a kiss.

 

**Author's Note:**

> comments and feedback are always appreciated :3


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